Donna Lee Rowe Fowlie '65, '85
To look up and not down, to look forward and not back
“I graduated from the of the medical secretary program at Westbrook Junior College in 1963. I came from a business background in high school and was a good student at high school and a medical secretary afforded me the opportunity to use the skills that I had developed in high school and build on those as I went forward. I was the first one in my family to have the opportunity to attend college and I think my experience at Westbrook Junior College was a great time. Those who attended WJC thought it was going to teach us manners and culture and it did that, all of that and then some. It was a great place; it was small enough so that we had the comradery of our close roommates and the whole campus because of its unique size. It gave us a great foundation for our own personal development socially, and in a business sense as well.”
“When I think my experience with Westbrook I remember all the great times. It was a season of liveliness and energy and my life has been very enhanced by the relationships that I developed while I was a student here on the Westbrook campus back in the early sixties. As the years went by, WJC changed, it's environment changed and it was like a new spring that had come forward, representing new growth and I think that's how life goes, and that's why I think it's been important to me to continue to be involved in that aspect of my experience with Westbrook. Many of the buildings that were here over 50 years ago when I attended Westbrook are now gone, and UNE has wisely used those spaces to create new buildings to afford opportunities to future generations.”
Education is vital to our very existence in every phase of our development, so education has always been at the foremost of my mind as I've gone through the different phases of my life. Giving in general has been a big part of my life, and it has become more so now that I entered my senior years. As I enter my senior years, I want to leave a piece of my legacy someplace where I know that there's a future that can benefit somebody else and help them grow and mature into their full potential. I believe strongly in the educational aspect of leaving a legacy and the importance of supporting our institutions of higher learning to make a difference for the people that are coming up through the ranks. For that reason, one of many, I believe in supporting UNE and will continue to do it. And hopefully someday my grandchildren may walk the campus and it'll be a good feeling.”
Donna Lee Rowe Fowlie is a proud member of the University of New England Heritage Society.